Thumbs up/thumbs down

Tuesday, December 1, 1998

Eliminating lockers

hurts kids

Thumbs down to the Pasadena Unified School District, which eliminated lockers in an effort to reduce the number of hiding places for weapons and drugs.

Due to the elimination of lockers, students are now carrying 30 to 40-pound loads on their backs, which can amount to almost as much as 40 percent of a child's body weight.

Doctors warn that students carrying heavy backpacks could develop muscle spasms, back pains, bad posture, curvature of the spine and even early symptoms of arthritis.

Considering that most schools already have the right to search a student's backpack, locker and even the students themselves, removing lockers becomes unnecessary; furthermore, students can still hide weapons and drugs in their backpacks.

The Pasadena school board is considering spending some of the $40-million bond that was issued earlier this year to solve the "locker dilemma." To use such funds to create new lockers, or as one parent has proposed, to build "see-through lockers," is a complete waste of funds.

To address these problems, the Pasadena School District should allow students to use the empty lockers that currently line the schools' halls, instead of wasting bond money.

Davis seeks training

for teachers

Thumbs up to governor-elect Gray Davis, for proposing a state "summer school" program for teacher training. According to University of California president Richard Atkinson, the program would bring new teachers "up to speed" on reading and math teaching and brush up the skills of more experienced teachers.

Eventually, Davis hopes to have 25 centers state-wide that would train 6,000 teachers for two-week sessions, incorporating UC and California State University expertise into the summer training camps.

This proposal directly addresses problems within the K-12 educational system. Teachers, both old and new, should continue to be re-trained, ensuring that their skills and methods are up-to-date and effective.

Welfare benefits delayed

Thumbs down to Governor Pete Wilson's administration for delaying welfare benefit checks to non-citizens in Los Angeles county.

State officials want those who qualify for the Cash Assistance Program for Immigrants to formally apply for federal funds and be formally denied federal funds before receiving state funds.

L.A. county contends that these last-minute requirements were never intended under the law.

This additional obstacle is yet another example of the anti-immigration legislation that has epitomized Wilson's term as governor.

The additional step is an unnecessary bureaucratic measure that will delay benefits to those who desperately need them.

Thumbs up/Thumbs down represents the majority opinion of the Daily Bruin Editorial Board. Send comments and suggestions to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.

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